1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates generally to pickups for stringed instruments, and more particularly to pickups for acoustical guitars.
2. Description of Related Art
Some stringed instruments, such as acoustical guitars, require the addition of a pickup if the sound of the guitar is to be amplified or modified electronically. Typically, the pickup, comprising an input transducer element such as a piezoelectric element, a piezoelectric film or an electret condenser film, is mounted underneath the saddle or at some other desired location on the guitar body by screws or other fastening means, for example adhesive glue, adhesive tape, putty and wax. Some modification of the guitar body is usually required with conventional pickups, and once mounted the pickup becomes a fixture to the guitar or is moveable but with considerable effort and/or marring of the instrument. When the guitar is used unamplified, the pick is simply not plugged in but remains on the instrument for use if amplification of the sound is later required. In addition to acoustical guitars, such pickups are commonly used on other acoustical stringed instruments such as banjos, ukuleles and the like.
Rather than modifying an acoustical guitar or other stringed instrument by mounting a fixed pickup, it would be desirable to have an easily removable and moveable pickup system that is easy to mount onto the guitar or other stringed instrument, and also easy to remove without damaging the instrument. Accordingly, it would be advantageous to have an improved pickup system and method for securing a pickup to a stringed instrument body such as a guitar body.